I have felt many different things during my stage practice, but this letter I am writing with heartbeats and with a long forgotten feeling of a childish joy. As if with every letter I uncovered the engine of “Breguet14” and built a bonfire under the bonnet. The morning is sparkling and the sky is awaiting!

DEREVO company performed for the first time in 1988 in Leningrad. Elena Yarovaya, Tanya Khabarova, Dima Tyulpanov, Alexey Merkushev and me. How and why did we meet — nobody of us could ever explain.

I was 29 years old.

Half of my life I have spent on stage performing in front of people.
But there is one life. And one World.
18th November 2018, in Dresden, I have stepped on stage as an actor and director of DEREVO company for the last time. From 2019 onwards, DEREVO will function as a “production company”, “DEREVO presents”. I will help actors to create new shows and when possible, present them on stages of the world

Thirty years of a long road. An astonishing, happy, unpredictable one.

Thirty years of living a Fairytale.

The name DEREVO should stay in this untouchable and unreachable fairytale.

Let’s see. However, it will be no longer DEREVO, but me – Anton Adasinskiy – with everything that I would still like to transmit to people. And with everyone who feels passionate towards both worlds and despises laziness.

And a school. I will apply my all efforts to found my own school. People, who are interested in the principles of DEREVO’s work, must receive the knowledge at first hand. And not let it drop.

About four hundred people worked and performed with me during these wonderful years. A low bow to all of them!

Of course, I would be unspeakably glad if six well-fit, bald recruits would knock on my eyes and would want to dance “Islands” or “Ketzal” or “La Divina Commedia”. Sure! Let’s do it!

And once again, I would see on stage the same splashes of body quality, cleanness and an uncompromising attitude of artistic intentions as it was in DEREVO.

And now, I wish to all creators, during this time of troubles, to have wonderful shows with fine Romanticism! And Light, Music, Sincerity. And endless faith in the fact that You are making this World better.

as you probably know I was lucky to conquer one rather nasty desease. It was made possible by means provided with our medical insurance in Germany, which covered the very expensive treatment (around 28000 Euro). I didn’t have to pay anything directly.

One of the AKHE Group - our friend and colleague Andrey Sizintsev now requires an operation and a following therapy due to a serious cancer diagnose.

I can imagine how it may work in Russia. I know it’s expensive. Sometimes in cash.

… You’re asleep.
Curled, embracing the pillow, deep under the blanket.
It’s late at night.
And you’re asleep,
And nobody knows who you’re going to be the next ringing morning.
What kind of chain armour you’ll be wearing by then. Will you be a politician, a faithful wife or an old man or… ?
You’re asleep. And the other one is sleeping too, the one you’ll see in the sight of a gun or the one at the shop, holding an avocado…
The only one, who will become a reason to miss the train…
Tonight we are just children.
It doesn’t matter how rich you see yourself in your dreams, no matter how big the painting over the bed. And the thrilled servants behind the bedroom door, changing your coffee cup every ten minutes to keep it warm, they do not matter either.
Just one bed for all, and one Home and one World.
We’re asleep and, oh God, let us stay so just a while longer, not to slip into the shells of our lives quite yet.
I know I’ll wake up and I’ll become the one who I must be, who I have to be, who I got used to being.
But now… there’s no war, no treason, no labour.
We’re asleep.
Like children,
And…
And I want to be like you,
To love and to be loved.
May Those Who We Insult During The Day Forgive Us At Night!
They were sleeping during the night too and they were wishing me Well.
I’m asleep.

Hard work was worth it. The Faust by Alexander Sokurov where Anton played one of the leading roles of the Moneylender or Mephistopheles has been awarded with the Golden Lion at the 68th Venice Film Festival. The jury was headed by U.S. director Darren Aronofsky.

Anton is now on the way back from Venice. The next DEREVO appearance is in the russian city of Perm at the Texture Festival where DEREVO performs MEPHISTO WALTZ, inspired by the work on the Faust. Anton also gives a three-day workshop.

Several ways of living for those who want to devote their life to the arts.

A person pursues his favourite occupation. In the remaining time he makes his living by simple physical labor that does not employ his art and skills.

A person limits his social requirements as much as possible and pursues his favourite occupation while living on alms.

A person divides his time between the favourite occupation and additional earning in the “art field” such as mass-media, TV, cinema, parties, bad productions, etc., understanding clearly that all those are just “hack work”.

A person pursues only his favourite occupation and, after spending years to achieve perfection in it, he reaches the time when his stage work allows him to survive in society ensuring him creative, financial and geographical independence.

A person understands that he won’t have enough time and energy to obtain independence through his favourite occupation, so in order not to sell himself he makes the decision not to pursue it or anything related to it, but instead to make money and pave the way for the creative independence and happiness of another person: Husband, Wife,
Children, Friend.

A person finds a social structure or another person, which (or who) supports him, making it possible to be occupied only by his favourite art and not requiring “loafing”.

A person decides not to do anything at all and leaves for the monastery. He relies upon maintenance from a certain prosperous organization or person.

A person puts an end to his life.

It is necessary to assign names of people who you know well or of celebrities to each point of the list. For example: Bashlachev, Faulkner, Moguchiy, Nikitin, Makarevich, Modigliani, Maximov, Jodorowsky, before starting to tear your ass with a pike crankbait. The ways and methods of transition between the listed models are intriguing. Propose and try.

I see my hands. They are stained with oil. Old cars are around me. Apparently I’m working in a garage. Alone.

There’s some annoyance in my sleep: should I change jobs? But there are obscure liabilities. This is not my dream. A sort of a junk movie.

I’m sure I’m handsome and manly. I search for a mirror and whistle something.

Powerful blows at the gates which open upwards slowly. Red-hot stripe of the sun-tide crawls the floor.

The customers are from the 30s. The blonde man remains in the car. The miniature girl comes out. She smokes a cigarette squinting in the sun.

Seems like I’m hearing jazz and realize – if the music stops I will be shot down. I know this pair. The girl is Bonnie Parker.

I know how they will die. She will turn 23.

One of my friends in St. Petersburg bought herself an old soviet government limousine. ZIM or something like that. Every little gap is filled with sand. Sort of bullet-proof doors.

It is possible to die in sleep. So I answer in good English that I recognize their faces; that I have no money in the garage but I point out the idea of car doors filled with sand. I’m showing them where I can put the sand in.

“Not bad”, says Bonnie (I will never be able to forget her voice),”but where would we get so much sand, my boy?”

“In a fire-protection bin” – I smile and want the blond guy to see that.